A pair of bills that could increase pay for high school coaches and allow them to financially help kids on their teams both earned unanimous support Thursday from the Florida Senate.
“We have a lot of coaches that don't make any money from doing this job,” said Sen. Corey Simon, a Tallahassee Republican and former Florida State University football standout who went on to play professionally. “They get a stipend, but oftentimes that stipend goes right back into the student athletes that they're coaching.”
One measure (SB 178), dubbed the "Teddy Bridgewater Act," directs the Florida High School Athletic Association to adopt bylaws that would allow coaches to support the welfare of students through personal funds.
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Coaches would be able to spend up to $15,000 a year per team, to help players in need of food, transportation or recovery services.
Coaches would have to report the spending, and the money couldn’t be used for recruiting.
In July, Education Commissioner Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas called for more flexibility for coaches after Bridgewater was suspended from his voluntary coaching position at Miami Northwestern Senior High for assisting students through Uber rides, meals and branded gear.
Bridgewater, a longtime NFL quarterback, signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a few weeks after his suspension last summer and served as Baker Mayfield's backup.
Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones, the sponsor of the bill, read a message via Instagram from Bridgewater that stated, “all I was trying to do was help the kids, and I can't thank you all enough for passing this important piece of legislation.”
The Senate voted 38-0 to pass the bill.
The House version of the bill letting coaches financially assist students (HB 1253) must still go before the Education & Employment Committee.
The second measure (SB 538), sponsored by Simon, in part allows coaches to be paid additional compensation from funds raised by boosters and other support organizations. It also authorizes school districts to classify athletic coaches as administrative personnel, where they can negotiate salaries that don’t exceed the highest paid school administrator in the district.
Simon appeared at a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday with Jimbo Fisher, the former football coach of both FSU and Texas A&M, and NFL Hall of Famer Chris Carter to support the coaching pay bill.
Again, the vote was 38-0.
The House version (HB 731) awaits action on that chamber’s floor.
